Beyond Sunday
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the Podcast that takes you deeper into the Word of God throughout your week, with your Host Pastor Lee Day.
It's Time to Inspire, Uplift, and dig deeper. Beyond Sunday starts now!
Beyond Sunday
A quick reminder to persevere
A steady heart can stand in the hottest fire. We open Jude 17–23 and Ephesians 6:10–13 to draw a clear map for real-world perseverance: put on the full armor of God, name the true enemy, and move toward the lost with mercy that refuses to quit. This isn’t a pep talk about trying harder; it’s a field guide for relying on the Spirit when the battle feels personal, the doubts get loud, and the path forward looks dim.
We start with a frank look at perseverance—why it matters, where it breaks down, and how strength rises only when rooted in God. From there, we walk piece by piece through the armor: truth that anchors, righteousness that covers, gospel shoes that steady, a shield of faith that quenches lies, a helmet that guards the mind, and the sword of the Spirit that cuts through confusion. You’ll hear why partial armor invites attack, how to spot “unarmored” gaps, and practical rhythms of Scripture, prayer, and worship that keep you standing firm.
Then we shift the lens to the real opponent. People aren’t your battlefield; spiritual forces are. That perspective transforms conflict into a mission of mercy. We talk about praying for the unsaved, showing compassion to doubters, and the courage it takes to “snatch others from the fire” without compromising holiness. Expect honest stories from ministry trenches, clear steps for engaging loved ones who resist the gospel, and a hopeful reminder that persistence can open doors no argument ever could.
If you’re weary, this conversation is your invitation to armor up, lift your shield, and keep moving. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs strength today, and leave a review to help others find this message of perseverance and mercy.
What's going on, everybody? I am Lee Day, your host, pastor of Christ Family Outreach Church, and I want to just welcome you to another episode of Beyond Sunday. If you got your Bibles, we're going to get going in Jude, beginning with the 17th verse, Jude 17 through 23. And this is what it says, because it is a call to persevere. But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, they said to you, In the last time there will be scoffers following their own ungodly passions. It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life, and have mercy on those who doubt. Save others by snatching them out of the fire. To others, show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. You know, we're reminded in this part of the text to persevere. And to persevere, my friends, is to persist in anything that you have undertaken. It is to maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or even discouragement. Our strength comes from one. Amen. Our strength comes from our Heavenly Father, which means we must be seeking God in order to be strong in our faith. Now, it has been documented that the Great Wall of China was penetrated three different times by an enemy. However, each of the three times, the guards had been bribed. So listen to this, my friends. A strong defense depends on strong people, and strong people must depend on God in order to remain strong. Ephesians 6, 10 through 13 says this finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm. Paul calls us right there to be strong in the Lord. That means we've got to spend time, real regular time in the Word of God. We've got to spend time in prayer. We've got to spend time in worship and praising our Lord. It's having a strong relationship with Jesus Christ that causes us to have strength in Him. The 11th verse tells us that we can stand against the schemes of the devil. Did you hear that? Because that should encourage you. We can stand against the schemes of the devil. But the only way that we can do it is by putting on the entire armor of God. We've got to put on the entire armor. If you don't dress right for the battle, then you won't make it out unscathed. Satan is looking for the areas of weakness in your life to attack. He's looking for the unarmored areas. He's not looking to attack the stronger, more fortified areas in your life. He's looking to see if there is a hole or a weak spot in your armor. And wherever your armor has been compromised, Satan is looking to make a move in. The 12th verse tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. So listen up, my friends. Know who your enemy is. That's right. Know who your enemy is. You may think it's your neighbor. You may think it's a family member or coworker, but that's not the case. You've got to understand who the real enemy is. The real enemy is the power of darkness attacking the individual that's tempting them to act like that. The power of darkness that's tempting them and luring them to act that way towards you. So our prayers should be for the unsaved to be saved. And even if they are considered our enemy at the moment, we've got to recognize who the larger enemy is working behind them the entire time. It's the spiritual forces of darkness working behind the scenes. And we've got to also remember that we too once were lost in sin and on our way to hell until Jesus Christ stepped in. We're going to jump back to Jude verses 18 and 19 for a moment, my friends, because it says, They said to you, in the last time there will be scoffers following their own ungodly passions. It is these who cause divisions. Worldly people devoid of the spirit. A person is completely lost in life until they accept Jesus Christ as their own personal Lord and Savior, and God's Spirit comes in and lives with them. My friends, without Jesus Christ as Lord, you lack the power of God in your life. You lack wisdom, you lack knowledge and understanding that only God's Holy Spirit can teach you. Now think about this. If you are not hearing from the voice of the Lord, then who are you hearing from? If you do not have the Holy Spirit inside of you guiding and directing you, then who is leading you? The truth is that God is willing to lead you. God wants to guide his people, he wants to direct your path. But you must accept his son, Jesus Christ, as Lord of your life. And as a Christian, you must remain tuned into God daily. You can have a radio in your vehicle, but it does you no good unless you turn it on. Don't be satisfied with just having access to God. Actually access Him through prayer and allow Him to lead you. The 20th verse says that we are to build ourselves up in our most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. This is how you get stronger, how you are able to persevere. Our faith is everything. It's what pleases God. Praying in the Spirit and allowing God to completely have his way in our lives, my friends. We should want God's will in our lives more than we do our own plans. And we should be willing to pray for God's will for our lives and be okay, right? Be okay if that doesn't line up with what we've asked God for. There are going to be times when you will need to pray in the spirit because you won't know what to pray. And remember, God always knows what needs to happen. Verse 21 says this in Jude. Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life, and have mercy on those who doubt. You see, as Christians, we are to keep ourselves in the love of God and we are to show mercy to those who doubt. And I can tell you this it's a lot easier to show mercy when you walk in the love of God. That's the way that you're going to do it. Because when you and I step out of that love, we can easily lose track of what God is calling us to do, both to save and to unsaved people in our lives. And so we must continue to walk in mercy. The 23rd verse says, save others by snatching them out of the fire. To others, show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by flesh. Here's a little spiritual inventory question for you, my friends. How far are you willing to go to help show someone the love and mercy of God through Jesus Christ right now? See, you cannot give up. You must continue. Let me encourage you, you cannot give up. You must continue to persevere in your faith so others can see the example of Jesus Christ living on the inside of you. My friend, right now, you've got to keep pressing on. Right now, you've got to continue sharing God's word with the lost. Right now, you've got to keep inviting them to your church service. Right now, you've got to continue to encourage them to pray and read the word of God Almighty right now. Don't put it off any longer. And if you've been doing it but you're just tired, I want to encourage you to press on. I want to encourage you to keep pressing on. Remain steadfast. Remain persistent. You must persevere. Let this be a call of encouragement. Let this be the hour where you are encouraged to persevere, to not give up, no matter how long this journey has been, no matter how rough the road has been. Persevere, my friends. Persevere. Your persistence just may be what God Almighty uses to lead the person to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that is watching you live your life, that is watching you shine the light of Jesus. So here's a spiritual inventory question right now. How far? How far are you willing to go? How far are you willing to go? Are you willing to snatch them out of the flames? Because the 23rd verse says, save others by snatching them out of the fire. Wow. That is so powerful. Save other people by snatching them out of the fire. Who are those people? Who are those people that we've got to save out of the fire? That's the unsafe folks. That's the people that are not living daily with Jesus Christ in their lives as Lord and Savior. And the word of God just tells us in Jude, the 23rd verse, that it's our job as brothers and sisters in Christ, you and me, it's our job to be fire snatchers. It's our job to go in and save these people that are lost and dying and on their way to hell. And this is a message, this is a call in Jude verses 17 through 23. This is a call to persevere. And we are fire snatchers. What a role! What a huge responsibility. We're fire snatchers. So not only is the question, how far are you willing to go? But there's an additional question. Are you willing to snatch them out of the flames? Do you have? Do you have your armor on? You know, one thing I've learned in many years of ministry, I've come to realize that some people are easier to win to the Lord than others. Some people are just gonna be difficult. Some people are gonna cause you to go the extra mile, while others will cause you to go an extra 10 miles. But either way, the desired outcome should be the same, my friends. We've got to be willing to do whatever it takes through the love of God. We've got to be willing to do whatever it takes to show these people the love of God and offer the mercy that it takes that brings a lost soul to Jesus Christ. Persevere, remain strong, and let God strengthen you right now so that He can use you right now. And I just want to encourage you, my friends, do not wait any longer. I want to remind you today to make sure that you've got that armor on. Make sure that it's not just partial armor. Make sure that it is the full armor of God because you're gonna need every piece of it. Keep pressing on, my friends. Continue seeking the Father, continue praying to him, continue in the Word so that you know the way that you should go. Persevere. Do not give up. Go out there today and snatch somebody from the flames.
